Friday, November 18, 2016 11:15 am

GREEN BAY (From WLUK) -- A new trial date has been set for a businessman and his wife charged with fraud.

Green Box founder Ron Van Den Heuvel and Kelly Yessman Van Den Heuvel are now scheduled to stand trial July 31, according to court records.

They are accused of bank fraud for allegedly illegally arranging a series of loans.

Their former banker, Paul Piikkila agreed to plead guilty and testify against the Van Den Heuvels. His sentencing has not been set.

The federal indictment alleges that Piikkila, a loan officer at Horicon Bank in Appleton, approved a series of loans totaling more than $1 million. The indictment says Horicon Bank had told Piikkila not to loan any money to Van Den Heuvel, so none of the loans mentioned in the indictment were written to him by name. The couple has pleaded not guilty.

At least five agencies have been investigating Van Den Heuvel over claims he defrauded investors -- including the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. -- through a series of companies that he claimed would be able to convert food-contaminated paper and other difficult to recycle waste into new products and energy in a process that created no pollution.

Van Den Heuvel's primary company, Green Box NA, filed for federal bankruptcy protection in April. According to court documents, the company had less than $50,000 in assets and more than $10 million in debt.

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Join Jim Thompson on the 2nd Annual Papermakers Mission Trip to Guatemala, 22 - 29 July 17. Build houses, talk about the pulp and paper industry. For more information, email jthompson@taii.com with "Guatemala" in the subject line.